Reflecting on the moment that felt bigger than Texas still overwhelms him now, 15 months later.

Sunday night football. Lambeau Field. The bitter rivalry.

"Yeah, I was nervous,'' the Bears receiver said in reference to his NFL debut against the Packers in the 2009 season opener. "I still get nervous sometimes to this day.''

But Knox is 40 yards away from his first 1,000-yard season and far from the timid boy in a man's world he was that September night. Same goes for Earl Bennett, who, like Knox, didn't exactly look confident during what was Jay Cutler's first game as a Bear.

You remember, right? It was the night Cutler threw four interceptions while awkwardly executing Ron Turner's offense.

But what Knox and Bennett endured then pales in comparison to what happened to Devin Hester the year before on the same enemy field. The Packers demolished the Bears 37-3 in '08. Hester, Brandon Lloyd and Rashied Davis combined for just four catches against a physical Packers secondary.

"It's a memory you don't want,'' Hester said. "You never want to take a punishment like that.''

The lessons learned at Lambeau have made Hester, Knox, and Bennett more dependable and dangerous receivers as the Bears tune up for the playoffs with Sunday's game at Green Bay.

If Chicago is where receivers go to die, as once implied, then Mike Martz's offense is where they are reincarnated.

Knox is one Cutler bomb away from becoming the first Bears receiver to reach 1,000 yards since Marty Booker in 2002. Hester has been able balance his dynamic returns with effectiveness on offense despite doubts that he could be successful doing both. Bennett, when healthy, is the team's top third-down threat with 11 receptions, all for first downs.

Praise for Drake

Martz, who was promised the receivers would be the strength of the team, took little of credit for the emergence of the group that finally has adjusted to the timing routes that are a staple in his scheme.

"Darryl Drake has done a masterful job with those guys,'' Martz said. "He really has helped take those guys to another level.''

No reason to stop now.

Drake was amazed when he dissected the film of last Sunday's 38-34 victory over the Jets, and not just because Knox and Hester combined for three touchdowns in the third quarter alone.

The coach pinpointed the fifth play of the game, which pitted Hester against Darrelle Revis, arguably the league's top corner. Hester picked up 14 yards on the play.

"That was as good as a comeback route as you'll ever see,'' Drake said. "How he set Revis up … outside, got him back inside, got vertical. And then, how he came out of his break. You can't run a better route than that. He had so much separation. Then when he caught it, he was trying to score.''

Against Revis, tag-team partner Antonio Cromartie and the rest of the Jets' secondary, Knox and Hester did their best Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt impersonations. They made a joke of press-man coverage, while Cutler and the offensive line held up their ends of the bargain.

Knox looked nearly flawless in scoring touchdowns of 40 and 26 yards. Drake pointed to his receivers' attention to detail. But the real measure of maturity is how far Hester and Knox have come with their route running.

"Johnny's really learning how to set guys up,'' Drake said. "Just using his head and his eyes and not breaking stride.

"Body language tells everything from a receiver running routes. When you can control that body and not allow that guy to read where you're going … the biggest thing in young receivers is they have a tendency to look where they're going, look down at the ground. Now, these guys are playing with their eyes up. When that DB sees you looking at the ground, he's sitting on steps. That's something these guys have done a tremendous job of learning.''

Packers notice

Drake's not the only one who has taken notice. Packers cornerback Tramon Williams, who had one of the four interceptions against Cutler at Lambeau last season, sees a difference in the Bears receivers.

"Obviously, those guys have talent,'' Williams said. "You have two guys in Hester and Knox who, when they get the ball in their hands, they can go all the way with it.

"Last year, they were just trying to build chemistry with Cutler, so I don't think they were all on the same page. Now they know each, and they're playing faster. They obviously don't have one big-name receiver. But do they need one? I think they work pretty well together.''

They need to continue to do so if the Bears hope to make a deep playoff run. There's a chance the Bears could see the Packers in the second round, meaning another dose of Charles Woodson, Williams and the rest of the suffocating Packers secondary. And the Saints, Packers, and Giants — all possible playoff opponents going into Sunday — ranked among the top eight in the league in passing yards allowed per game.

Regardless of the opponent or the defensive alignment, Drake wants to see his receivers continue the same route they're going.

"Compared to where we are now from the last time we played Green Bay, it's like night and day,'' Drake said. "There's still room for improvement, but it's like night and day.''